First aboard: sailing the new Beneteau First 40

Offshore Yachting, August-Sept, 2009 by Anthony Twibill

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Having published a full review of Beneteau's svelte new First 40 in the December/January Rolex Sydney Hobart special edition of Offshore Yachting, it was exciting to be one of the very first to sail aboard Alibi recently during a breezy afternoon on Sydney's Pittwater.

Vicsail Pitt-water's Shane Crookshanks introduced me to the first Aussie example of this much anticipated new racer, and with a flesh northwesterly howling through the RPAYC, all hands were ready for an afternoon of excitement putting this young French thoroughbred and her wardrobe of crackling new North sails to work.

Alibi, is owned by a previous Beneteau yachtsman Barry Jackson, who is proudly the Australian premiere owner for the French yard's newest mid-size cruiser/racer to reach Australian shores. Following in the wake of the successful First 40.7, Beneteau's renowned IRC big boat beater--a reputation it has earned in so many regattas of the past decade--my guess is it won't take too many Australian examples of this swift sailing machine before we see whether the First 40 can live up to, and perhaps exceed, the giant killing ability of its predecessor.

Beneteau's newest First series of cruiser/racers are designed for speed and performance, without compromising their French designer flair and creature comforts below decks. The First 40 undoubtedly delivers plenty of comfort in the saloon and accommodation below. But that is not at all why you'd buy a Beneteau First.

You buy it because it is fast- upwind, downwind, reaching, running--whether around the cans on weekend point-score racing, contesting regattas, or out at sea on long offshore races, this is a very swift 40-footer against all comers! The Bruce Farr designed hull is fully infused and displaces just over 7,000 kg. It has a fine entry, with a near plumb bow for maximum waterline length, and a beamy 3.89 metre chord carried way aft for impressive stability and downwind performance. Add to that a high aspect ratio rig carrying a substantial 225 [m.sup.2] of carbon strengthened sails and a deep racing keel, and you have a yacht ready to bolt from the blocks, the moment the gun is fired.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

One of the design aims of Beneteau was to create a totally modern yacht that improved on the performance of the 40.7 while sailing a course to 'stay under the radar' of TRC.

The new boat features a large cockpit dominated by a single helm wheel recessed into the deck. Having sailed Alibi both upwind and down, I must say that Beneteau seem to have nailed the balance and feel in the big wheel. It is not easy to trim steering setup for the perfect balance of feedback, feel and control, without being either too light or excessively subject to weather helm. The feel of Alibi's helm is confidence inspiring and despite the forces from the powerful rig on this breezy afternoon, the large fin rudder guided by literally fingertip control at the helm had everything under complete control at all times.

The mainsheet track and traveler spans the deck ahead of the wheel in true racing format and is easily adjustable by the mainsheet trimmer. A stylish touch is the helmsman has teak laid deck seats either side of the wheel, ahead of which is the cockpit proper with large teak seats topping large lockers ... All lines lead back to jammers on the coach house roof with two mainsheet and spinnaker sheet winches and the cockpit has four winches--two primaries for the headsail and two spinnaker winches.

The First 40 is designed for "like" racing, rather than One Design. It can be set up and optimised for IRC, GP IRC or simply more relaxing 'gentlemen's racing'. Although prospective owners have an extensive options list from which to choose, the intention of Vicsail, the local distributers of Beneteau sailing yachts, is to encourage all new owners to opt for the "Racing Pack" with taller aluminum mast with three set spreaders allowing a non-overlapping headsail and larger sail area, and set up with symmetric spinnaker rigging and spinnaker boom. This race setup provides a mainsail area of 50[m.sup.2], a 106 per cent Genoa of 40.5 [m.sup.2] and flying a 132[m.sup.2] spinnaker. Opting for the deep iron/lead keel of 2.45 metres, hanging 3,000 kg in a bulbous fin will also be encouraged. So, the plan is that all First 40 yachts delivered in Australia are of essentially the same specification and performance, right out of the box.

So, if racing is your passion, but you like to combine your competitive instinct with comfort and French chic, then take the First 40 for a sail. I suspect that like me, you'll be seduced by its speed, power and poise so much so that you'll need to make up your own Alibi for escaping to sea.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]